Excellent psy-progressive trance/house(+ other elements) delivering both punch and deepness in equal measure.

WoW ... 8 years later ... this is still amazing - just a really progressive trance pearl - produced as it must be: PERFECT! Seb Mullaert created 9 different tracks which fit also together - all with this smooth flow - never to much kicks - never to much nervous hi-hats ... just grooving like an old whale through the ocean with a smile on his face or so. Sometimes it takes time to explore the deepness of some releases - now it is time for this.

Is Seb Mullaert the biggest star in the universe? It seems that everything Swedish super-producer Sebastian Mullaert touches turns into gold! A résumé that lists Son Kite, Minilogue, Filur, Trimatic, Dab Screen and Ooze tells more than enough… Now he’s out with a full album under his Kooler alias – the first CD album to be released on Dragonfly spin-off prog label Kamaflage… And this looks to be one for the movers and groovers… Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: A nice chilled intro track here… Floating, dubby and straightforward… It’s a very rich, moody soundscape with all kinds of atmospheric, eerie sounds in the background… The first beats are introduced @ 1.30 and continues throughout the track… Nothing too complicated is going on until 6.00 - just plain progressive house – with the Mullaert quality stamp… The last 2.30 minutes are by far the best, where the moody atmosphere is even more omnipresent… Nicey nice! ;o) #02: Let’s go deeper now… After about 55 seconds of beat-less chilling, it’s tribal groove time! This really showcases the talent of Seb - the king of progressive trance! I mean, just listen to those drums – they’ve got High Hat studios written all over them! It’s so contagious – so well produced. It’s light and fluffy and dark and heavy… Awesome! ;o) #03: This tune was already released on Kamaflage 3 and as a 12” so there’s a good chance you’ve heard it already… It’s the sexy track! ;o) The weightless heavyweight – light as a feather and heavy as an elephant… Classic progressive beach-house trance at its best! This is amazing, hands down! #04: This track was done with Marcus, so it’s kinda like a Son Kite track… Harold & Maude? Sounds like and old, married couple… Are you trying to tell us something Seb and Marc? ;o) Anyway, this is another fine tune… It slowly builds and builds for 2 minutes, before breaking out the affluent, infectious baseline… And as a striking contrast; the naïve melody which adds to the overall bounce-your-head effect this very smooth track has! #05: We get a break-beat intro on the title track here… Seb plays around with all kinds of electro samples, turning the knobs and just experimenting…I’m guessing that this was composed around the same time as the “The Stars Within Us” tune from the Colours album by Son Kite… All the way through the beats are cut, dubbed and filtered… It’s one of the most chilled tracks on the album – its beach-house trance! Nice! #06: “And now ladies and gentlemen, we present the biggest star in the universe!” Well, if we’re talking progressive beach trance, Kooler is definitely a strong contender for that title! Second track with Marcus… And this time, no ambient intro… In fact we’re now entering the more danceable part of the album… A deep, driving bassline sets the mood from the first second and alongside some wicked squelches it just builds and builds… Bob the Builder would be proud! ;o) Parts of this reminds me of the now famous Son Kite track “On Air” which is just as stellar as this is! Oh, and check out the samba-spice too… I’ll play this for ages! Best track here! #07: “Look at the way it goes around”… Another deep, housy, progressive trance tune here… Tribal, repetitive percussion work accompanied by light, happy melodies… Jaw-dropping production and some seriously groovy rhythms… Very stylish break and build-up… Very subtle, almost simple… But it works! Sweet track! #08: I’m not sure if this is the same as the Filur track Life Lift released by Kamaflage back in 2001 as I’ve never heard it – but whatever it is, it’s a nice little tune… Gone are the darker beats and we’re left with some smooth, chilled vibes… Delic’s! ;o) #09: Alright, time for the mango-track! This is also a relaxed piece, with a wonderful chilled atmosphere… Under normal circumstances that high-pitched squelch would have grossed me out, but here it just fits perfectly… The female vocals also add to the overall sexiness of this track… Sweet way to finish a sweet album! ;o) The promotional material describes this as “deep tribal grooves, awesome drops, infectious basslines and futuristic house…” Yeah, agreed… And might I also add smooth, groovy, funky, uplifting, euphoric and very, very sexy! As you can tell, I like the middle part of the album best, but all tracks are off a very high standard… Full-on goa-heads and devout minimal freaks, should probably stay clear of this release - unless they are open-minded! This is borderline stuff and often it crosses the boundaries well into house territory! But who really cares, as long as the music is good? And believe me; it’s good… It’s good… It’s goooood! ;o) If you enjoyed the Son Kite album “Colours”, you’ll enjoy this too! Recommended! 8.5/10 Favourites: 2(!), 3(!!), 4(!), 6(!!!), 7